Warrior
by yume.rea
Summary: it wasn't enough to be just... handsome. no, wait, she shouldn't say that out loud. OC
1. Chapter 1

•|| Ｏｒａｎｇｅ ||•

Days...

She couldn't remember just how many days it had been. The hike down the mountain path wore her down greatly. Hair as soft as silk and as orange as the dusk sky became tangled and clumped with dried blood and mud. Nothing filled her eyes but emptiness.

"Death..." she muttered under her breath. Trudging down the dirt path, her footsteps were weak and legs wobbled due to hunger and dehydration.

Nevermind having a life; if she could not find a purpose to live, she thought that only death would be the answer to what must be done to the shell she had left behind in this world. "I... only wish for death..."

The image of bloody corpses filled her mind. Eyes painted with terror haunted her nights, their screams endlessly echoing in her ears. The stench of blood clung to her senses, to her skin; in every crevices and crack in them.

Her throat burned from the cries she yelled. Bloodshot eyes warily glanced around, her vision not too focused due to exhaustion. "King Hiryuu..." she weakly utters, her voice filled with defeat. "... let me die, I beg of you." As if on cue, deep vicious growls came from the foliage.

A pack of wolves jumped out of the tall lush bushes... and starvation practically roared in their eyes as the pack eyed her weak and beaten down form. Foam bubbled out of their jaws, the growls becoming even louder as the wolves approached her in a steady pace.

No emotion flickered in her eyes.

Not terror.

Not fear.

Not dread.

She was simply an empty shell at this point.

A bitter laugh escaped her throat. "A shameful death in the jaws of wolves... I must have disappointed you greatly, my King..." No matter how hollow of a shell she might be at the moment, the idea of receiving such a manner of death made her think of how much she failed the Red King.

One wolf left the pack and pounced on her like the prey it was. It growled in eagerness, its jaw ready to sink in her tender flesh. It eyed her with great hunger. She could already imagine her flesh being ripped apart, her joints popping out of their socket as the pack fought over her.

_I apologize greatly_, she glanced at the heavens with loss. _I have failed you before we could meet._

The world suddenly spun and she found herself pressed against the ground, a warm body pinning her to the dirt ground. "What are you doing?!" A young squeaky voice of a boy shrieked in surprise rather than anger. She tried to recollect herself but whoever it was pinning her, the person dragged her out of the line of fire and to a... _carriage?_

Whines that came from the wolves reached her ears and, with minimum effort, craned her head a little to the side. An old man and a young boy fought against the pack who sought for flesh and blood. The fight seemed one-sided, the pair winning by a landslide.

"Excuse me," a feminine and high-pitched voice tried to catch her attention. "Are you alright? Were you hurt by the wolves?" It was a... boy who sounded _and _looked feminine that inquired about her condition. She supposed it was only appropriate to answer him even though she rather die than to live.

"I am fine. You are better off worrying about your companions." He blinked at her before his gaze averted to his _companions._ "Ah, yes, I suppose you're right but it would be fine. Hak and Grandpa are capable fighters." The younger boy confused her. _Such faith,_ she thought in slight awe. _How does he have so much faith in those people?_

His attention went back to her and his gaze— _so determined and resolved_— fixed on hers. "I trust my family to deal with them." Befuddled, she failed to look away. Her eyes fixated on those orbs of his. "Soo-Won."

The boy named Soo-Won, the boy in front of her, glanced up at the person riding the stallion. "Yes, father?" She herself looked at this _father_ and stepped back upon seeing the man's intimidating appearance. Now aware, the aura he emitted made her skin crawl. _How... strong. His mere presence instill how much of a capable person he is to lead—!_

"That was a reckless move." The slight tilting of Soo-Won's head didn't go unnoticed by her. It became clear to her how Soo-Won highly considered his father. "...—" She tried to speak up but the arrival of the _Grandpa _and _Hak _stopped her from uttering a word. She noticed how clean they looked. Not a drop of blood splattered their clothes.

This alone caught her eye.

Frowning, she stepped forward (catching everyone's attention) but stumbled a bit due to exhaustion, starvation, and dehydration. "I... suppose I should show my gratitude—" she steadied herself, acting as if nothing happened. "— but I would have preffered if you had left me to die." The tone of her voice was aloof and indifferent at the same time.

It definitely confused the two older men.

There was a scoff that came from _Hak_. "I don't know whether or not you're stupid for saying that after we just saved your hide—"

_**whack**_

"What he meant to ask was—" she raised an eyebrow when the Grandpa cleared his throat after smacking Hak upside the head, the boy grumbling under his breath and caressing the small lump on his head. "— why would you say that?"

She caught Soo-Won's curious-filled eyes before dusting herself which seemed a little futile and useless on her part since she remained filthy. "And why would I not?" She gestured at her not exactly presentable appearance. "I simply... have nothing left... to live... for..." she said in a weak voice. "I... am useless... and must be... discar... ded..."

And then, she fainted.

•|| _**Ｏｒａｎｇｅ**_ ||•

_"Mother... Grandmother..."_

_A younger orange-haired female child softly called out when she reached the dusty kitchen. "When am I going to meet King Hiryuu?"_

_"Never." Her mother venomously spat out._

_"He never came for me... he would never come for you..." Her kind and gentle mother disappeared for a fraction of a second before she returned to normal. "I'm sorry... I just... I really thought he would come for me."_

_"It's okay," the child reassured with a slight smile. "I'm sure he would come for Mother and me."_

_"I'm sorry..."_

_She waited but not once did the child's mother uttered the name of her daughter._

_Not once in the child's lifetime._

_•__**Ｏｒａｎｇｅ**_•

A young child with the brightest red hair the kingdom had ever seen peeked through the sliding doors, wanting to take a look at the person Hak and her cousin brought back from their trip to the Water Tribe. A tuff of orange could be seen from her crouched down position by the door.

'_Orange..? That peasant has some strange hair color.'_ She forgot that she herself had an odd hair color but she was too focused at the stranger's presence. A strange connection; a strange tug on her heart had drawn her to this very room. There was a connection the child could not describe with this person.

She felt as if she knew the stranger for _years._ "Oi, princess, what are you doing crouching like a stupid person down there?"

The princess scrambled back up to her feet, her cheeks flushed pink in embarrassment as Hak gave her a smug expression. "D-Don't you dare give me that look—" A hand slapped over her mouth and made her wince a bit. "Shh," Hak whispered in her ear. "He's still asleep. You don't want to wake him up. The old man will _kill_ us."

Yona, the princess gifted with red hair that resembled King Hiryuu's, paled a little. She warily nodded and felt his hand slip away from her face. "Who is that strange guy?" She whispered back with furrowed eyebrows. Hak glanced down at her before pulling her out of the room and closing the door. "We found him almost becoming food to starving wild animals in the forest."

It made her flinch back in terror. "W-Wild animals—?!" She squeaks out in horror.

Hak rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. Anyway, just don't come near here. I'm supposed to be guarding this area _even if I don't want to._" He whispered the last part to himself, shooing the princess away. He saw her pout but eventually, one of the eunuchs came and led her away for her afternoon studies with the scholars.

The young boy sighed and leaned against the closed doors. "Sheesh, I would rather sleep in my room than do this boring stuff."

"Then, have your slumber and I'll be on my way."

It took Hak a fraction of a second to realize that a person stood beside him. Jumping back at least two meters to put some distance between them, he realized that it was the strange person they'd brought back. Hak eyed him from top to bottom.

Without the filth that covered him from head to toe, the older boy resembled a noble's child. His eyes were a clear tangerine orange, one that shone in clarity and... wisdom? But what caught his attention the most was the flaming orange hair that almost seemed to glow in the sunlight. It reminded him of... dusk for some reason. The boy towered over him by just about two inches but something about the way he held his gait made himself look taller.

"Ah, wait," Hak choked out. "How did you get out?" Because he was certain he hadn't seen the stranger move at all or anyone opening the door beside him.

"Hm? From that door, obviously. Where else would I exit through?" The young boy knew the stranger simply answered him but... _it feels like he's mocking me!_ "Do I suppose you may tell me how to get out of here?"

That made his eye twitch.

"Do you think I'm stupid enough—" he stopped talking when he realized that the stranger started running away from him. Hak instantly chased after him. Now that he thought about it, that guy moved pretty fast for someone who was still in pain of hunger and slight dehydration.

A few seconds later, Hak caught up to him and planned to tackle him to the wooden floor. His plan went down the drain when he tackled air, his face slamming _hard_ with a loud thump. He sensed someone jumping over him. "You are too hasty with your planning." The older boy crouched down in front of him as if mocking Hak about his _plan_.

"You should take the enemy's skills into account."

With that, he ran away.

Hak scrambled back up to his feet to follow after him but stopped when he saw the strange person fall on his behind just around the corner. When he neared him, he found out why. General Yu-Hon of the Sky Tribe blocked the escape route of the dusk-haired boy. The general stood tall with his eyes narrowed into a glower.

The future general of the Wind Tribe flinched ever so slightly when that intimidating gaze turned towards him. "He slipped through your fingers, Hak?" He looked down, a little ashamed of his failure but perked back up when Yu-Hon bursted into laughter.

"I see," the general turned to the boy, who seemed... _tamer?_ all of a sudden. "You; what's your name?"

He saw the taller boy furrow his eyebrows, gulping ever so discreetly upon meeting the man's eyes. _Ah,_ Hak jolted in realization. _Even he's cowering in the face of someone much stronger._

"Yoru," the boy stated, his voice not as shaky and as indifferent as it had been. "My name is Yoru of the Crepuscle."

Hak blinked. _That's a weird name... warrior of the eventide— sunset— dusk... that fits his weird hair though_. He didn't think much of it but he noticed, from the corner of his eyes, how Yu-Hon tensed up for a fraction of a second.

"Of the Crepuscle, huh?"

For some reason, the wind blew right at that moment as if warning them of someone's annoyance.

•|| Ｏｒａｎｇｅ ||•

"From now on, you are my son's bodyguard."

Soo-Won smiled at the boy's direction. He stood beside his father's towering form and the young Lord noticed how his new bodyguard warily stared at the man beside him before nodding. The moment his father was out of sight, the boy stepped forward, kneeling down in front of him with his head lowered.

That alone made the young Lord blink in surprise.

"I, Yoru of the Crepuscle, will be your shield and sword from now on. I am yours to command and—" but his oath of servitude to the young Lord was cut off.

"Soo-Won!"

Said Lord stumbled forward when a smaller body crashed into him. His new bodyguard acted in an instant. A pair of hands steadied him by the shoulders, avoiding a collision with the floor. Some sort of static shock went through him at the touch but he simply sent Yoru a thankful nod.

"Yona," he called out to his cousin once he finally freed himself of her hug. His redhead cousin pulled away with a pout. Soo-Won sheepishly smiled at the sight of his cousin puffing her cheeks out. "Didn't the scholars teach you not to disturb others when they're talking?"

He carefully gestured at the boy behind him when suddenly, he heard a gasp for breath. "S-Soo-Won, h-he's—!" Yona didn't finish as she clung onto his sleeves. When he turned around, the indifferent air around Yoru vanished in a blink of an eye.

_A panic attack—?!_

His bodyguard fell to his knees, hugging himself with his fingers digging into the expensive fabric he wore. He quickly crouched down beside him, a hand on his back and another on one of his hands. "Breathe," he said but it did nothing. "_Breathe_." He commanded but it still did nothing.

"B-B-Breathe." Yona copied him, saying the word he ordered twice.

And for some reason, Yoru managed to gasp for breath and took several ones right after.

_Ｙｏｕ ｈａｖｅ ｆｏｕｎｄ _  
_ｙｏｕｒ Ｋｉｎｇ_

_Ｔｈｅ Ｒｅｄ Ｋｉｎｇ ｔｈａｔ_  
_ｗｉｌｌ ｓｔａｒｔ_  
_ｔｈｅ ｆｌｏｗ ｏｆ ｔｈｉｓ_  
_ｗｏｒｌｄ__'__ｓ ｆａｔｅ_

_Ｐｒｏｔｅｃｔ ｙｏｕｒ Ｋｉｎｇ_

_Ｇｕｉｄｅ ｙｏｕｒ Ｋｉｎｇ_

_Ｓｅｒｖｅ ｙｏｕｒ Ｋｉｎｇ_

_Ｔｈｅ ｓｔａｒｔ ｏｆ ａ_  
_ｎｅｗ ｅｒａ ｗｉｌｌ ｂｅｇｉｎ_  
_ａｔ ｔｈｅ Ｒｅｄ Ｋｉｎｇ__'__ｓ_  
_**ＡＷＡＫＥＮＩＮＧ**_

"I... apologize, my Lord."

Soo-Won watched as Yoru removed his hands from his person. "That was... not meant to happen." His orange eyes were still glazed over as if he was still not completely back to reality. "I would... gladly endure any punishment for this mishap."

He frowned at this. The young Lord was not that kind of person. "Why are you talking weird?" Soo-Won glanced in surprised at his cousin. Wasn't she afraid of this newcomer?

Yoru perked up a little. "Why would Soo-Won punish you? You didn't do anything wrong." Soo-Won stifled his laughter when he saw his bodyguard's dumbfounded expression. "Besides, what's your name?"

"Y-Yoru..."

Soo-Won suddenly patted him on the back, making the young warrior stumble forwards in surprise. "I'm not issuing a punishment for you. Like my cousin Yona said, you didn't do anything wrong." He and his cousin received a befuddled look from him. "A-Are you for certain, my Lord?" He simply nodded to reassure the older boy.

When Yoru suddenly bowed in front of them, his forehead touching the wooden floorboards, shock traveled through him and the princess. "Thank you," he heard the warrior utter. "I will forever remember both your kindness."

_Kindness..? Just what did Yoru go through before we found him?_

•|| Ｏｒａｎｇｅ ||•

**Ａｕｔｈｏｒ****'****ｓ Ｎｏｔｅ**

Ｙｅｅｔ— ｔｈｉｓ ｉｓ ｔｈｅ ｔｒｉａｌ ｒｅ-ｗｒｉｔｅ ｏｆ _Ｗａｒｒｉｏｒ__._


	2. Chapter 2

• **Ｅｖｅｎｔｉｄｅ** •

"He's weird," Yona said out of the blue while she, her cousin, and Hak were in the courtyard. "He just... stays there and watch us."

A scoff came from Hak who rested at the base of a tree. "I think the term you're looking for, princess, is creepy."

Soo-Won lightly smacked the dark-haired boy's arm, his lips set into a disapproving frown. "I know he's _weird_-" he emphasized on the word. "- but Yoru is kind... unlike Hak." He ended with an innocent smile. Said boy gave him a look of mock hurt whereas the princess giggled behind the sleeves of her clothes.

"My lord," the trio of children stopped talking and glanced up at the roof. No matter how they thought about it, they could never figure out how Yoru seemed to make his voice loud enough for them to hear when he was on the roof. "It is time for you and the princess to head for the scholar's study." A whine came from Yona, making the older boy glance at her.

"Princess, would you rather have General Yu-Hon come and fetch you? Because I can see him heading here to make sure my lord arrives there in time." At this, Soo-Won chuckled and grabbed his cousin's hand. "We'll get going, Yoru. And like every other day, I order you to spend time with Hak. We'll see you guys in a few hours."

With that, he and Yona made haste for the study.

Yoru jumped down from the roof and landed right in front of Hak who didn't want to be bothered. "Lord Hak-""_It's just Hak_.""- I will be heading for the village. Since my lord ordered me to spend time with you _again_-" the dark-haired boy raised an eyebrow at that emphasis. "- you will be coming with me to buy something in the market."

Laughing mockingly, Hak turned on his side and closed his eyes. "No way."

The next moment, he found himself being carried like a sac of potatoes. "What the-?! Put me down!" He struggled in the warrior's hold but his efforts were in vain. Too tight was his grip and too strong was his arm. Yoru carried him effortlessly with a single limb for heaven's sake!

"Is this not what you call _spending time_ with someone?" Amusement laced his voice and this only further annoyed Hak as he hit Yoru on the back several times with his fists. "Lord Hak-"

"It's just Hak, dammit!"

"- I advise you not to make a scene."

"You carrying me like this is already _making a scene_!"

Meanwhile, the servants of the palace tried their very best not to laugh at the hilarious sight right before them. Ever since the young Yoru arrived, they had never seen the young Hak be so... excitable? Irritable? Loud? It was a fresh of breath air in the palace, to be frank. The young warrior made things livelier around the children.

• **Ｅｖｅｎｔｉｄｅ** •

Hak. Was. Not. Amused.

Apparently, Yoru planned to shop for _clothes_ and they'd been in the same store for over an hour. "Aren't you done yet?" He grumbled under his breath, arms crossed over his chest while he leaned against the store's wooden wall. "One should learn patience," Yoru said behind the curtain where he was changing.

That made Hak grumble more. "Haven't you been taught that, Lord Hak?"

"It's just... H-Hak..?" It came out as a question once his eyes landed on his companion, who finally stepped out of the changing room. He wore robes of flowing fabric, painted with colors that brought out and highlighted his physical features. His hair also seemed tamed, not at all poofy like it usually was. The clothes and the tamed hair made Yoru look like a very, very pretty girl in Hak's eyes but...

Yoru arched an eyebrow when the younger boy bursted out laughing quite hysterically. "And must you be laughing so loud out in public?"

A waving hand made the warrior glance down at Hak's hunched over form. A few seconds after, the dark-haired boy finally stopped laughing. Though, his eyes showed his obvious joy.

"Pfft- never mind. I have to ask though," he said once he composed himself. "Why do you always wear a ton of layers?"

That made the older boy blink. "Most guys in the palace wear less layers because it's easier to move in and take action against enemies."

"_Can't a girl just indulge in things she likes_?"

Hak seemed not to notice it as he answered Yoru. "Of course they-" he stopped and blinked rapidly. That one question processed through his head until it finally made sense. His jaw slightly dropped, his eyes widened a fraction due to shock. "G-Girl-?" Hak was about to reach out and tug on the orange-haired boy- _girl's_ sleeve when a squeal came from outside.

He was quick to move out, searching for the source of that distressed call. The left side of the village was in utter chaos. The citizens were pushing each other down, running away from the... (_Hak scowled in distaste_)... bandits. They looked trained as well compared to mountain bandits.

The news hasn't reached the palace yet! He thought in realization when he noticed no palace soldiers arriving to the scene. Too young was he and lacking in skill (_the wolves from the mountain were easy enough to deal with_), he could not think up of a solution to help the people.

Deciding to call for Yoru and escape this madness, he belatedly realized that a certain orange-haired warrior stood beside him. His heart flipped from shock and pounded against his chest like a criminal hitting the jail bars. "Y-Yoru-!" Eyes as clear as the cloudless sunset sky pierced right through him, silencing his voice.

A gentle smile graced her usually straight lips, his pounding heart calming down almost instantly at that motherly expression. "Run back to the palace, Lord Hak. I will be taking care of this threat."

He blinked and _then_ he scowled. "Are you crazy?" He almost shouted at her. Hak hadn't even seen her _fight_ yet. The young boy didn't even know if she could wield a sword! General Yu-Hon's decision to make her a bodyguard befuddled him the first time he heard of it. Just like that, Yoru became Soo-Won's guard. The general did not even test her for heaven's sake.

No one knew if she was even a fighter to begin with.

"I think the right term you are looking for is insane."

Hak simply gaped at her, his eyes screaming of how much he thought her plan sucks. "Yoru-"

"- of the Crepuscle will be handling this, Lord Hak. They are merely bandits. Something I could simply _not_ not handle." He watched her approach a blacksmith's shop and grabbed a sword in display. Something tangerine caught his eyes and when he glanced at the source, he realized that the sun had started to set.

_Yoru of the Crespuscle... the Dusk... the Eventide_... As he looked back at his companion, he realized that she removed a lot of layers off her person. Her sleeveless clothes revealed her lean arms... _scar-covered lean arms_.

Layers of old and recent scars littered her pale, pale skin. Some were small that could had come from knives and some were big enough that had come from swords. A few, he couldn't put a name on. "Watch closely, Lord Hak. This... is the me you must see." A strong gust of wind temporarily blinded Hak. When it died down, his eyes shone with awe.

• **Ｅｖｅｎｔｉｄｅ** •

"Lookie here, I think this kid could sell quite a price in the underground market."

Yoru smiled at them, greeting them with nothing but pleasantries. "Good... evening, I suppose," she said after looking at the orange sky. The bandits blinked in befuddlement upon hearing her casual remark. "You and your company are bothering the villagers. May I ask if you could go and leave them be?"

It took a few moment before they bursted into laughter.

Even the horses seemed to neigh in amusement at the young child. "Boy, are you stupid?" The leader asked with a snort of interest. "We're bandits. What do you think we do?" The orange-haired child tilted her head. That was what they saw last when a gust of wind blew dirt into their eyes. In the duration they were blinded... nothing happened, actually.

(_Far behind, Hak gaped, stupefied by what he saw. Why didn't Yoru run away?! What was she doing there just standing around?! What was her plan to begin with?_!)

A flash of unexplainable emotion crossed her features, one that suddenly made them all wary of the strange child. Yoru suddenly unsheated the sword she borrowed from the blacksmith's shop. It was a cutlass embroided with silver and bronze decoration; the handle a deep black with the blade as sharp as possible.

Sunlight reflected off it when she raised the sword and the bandits swore they saw a mirage of an orange dragon with glowing red eyes. The horses they rode on suddenly neighed, their front legs high in the air. The bandits scrambled to hold onto the saddle and reigns as not to fall off. A few of them failed to remain on their stead, one of them being the leader.

The entire stable of horses galloped away, fear and panic obvious in their abyss-like beady eyes; it left the few bandits that fell alone in the village. Yoru wore a victorious and triumphant smirk on her face, her eyes glinting in mock arrogance. "Will you please leave now?"

Politeness did not disuade from her tone despite her contradicting expression. The bandits felt a flare of anger deep inside them. It was obvious how she looked down on them, as if they weren't even badits to begin with! The leader found himself back on his feet followed by his men. They drew their swords out of their sheaths as they glowered down at the orange-haired child.

"Wipe that expression off your face," he snarled, his crooked teeth showing as he smiled at the indifferent girl. "Cause if you don't, this village will be a goner." When she stayed silent, unmoving, and unresponsive, he took this as victory. He raised his sword with his men cheering like the idiots that they were. "Stupid brat. I knew you were nothing but an anttention-seeker."

Hooves stomping on dirt reached their ears and the leader of the bandits smirked. "Well, it seems like my men finally realized that you're nothing but dirt." He commented as he waited for the rest of his men to arrive. A smirk so infuriating suddenly showed up on her face, making him turn red in frustration. He hated that look... for heaven's sake that expression made him mad!

"What's with that look?" She reamined unreponsive. There was a scuffle behind him, his men shouting. _Idiots_! He internally screamed. _They're idiots_! "Stop making that face, you stupid brat!"

"Okay." When she finally said that word, he relaxed. He turned to look at his men but he found himself looking at the end of a very sharp-looking spear.

It was the palace's army.

• **Ｅｖｅｎｔｉｄｅ** •

"That was..."

"Amazing?"

"No."

"Magnificent?"

"No."

"... an extraordinarily beautiful way to stall?"

(_A certain green-haired teen sneezed, giving out his hiding spot. Yells from down below the house, the soldiers pointing at him and making their way up, had him jump in the air. "Ah..." he muttered under his breath as he 'flew' in the sky. "A maiden has been talking about me?"_)

"No. It was stupid."

Hak's comment did nothing to waver the professional smile on Yoru's face. "I was no match for them. A one-on-one, maybe but they outnumbered me, Lord Hak-""_It's just Hak!_""- that would have been suicidal so I did the next most sensible thing: stall for time." However, before the young warrior could continue, she received a harsh blow to the back of her head and sent her face-planting on the ground.

"The most sensible thing would have been calling for the palace guards." Yoru glanced up and narrowed her eyes at the one who smacked her upside the head. She dusted off the dirt on her clothes and wiped the dirt on her face. "What stupidity are you talking about, old man?"

... she was sent face-planting on the dirt ground again.

"_I'm not old_!" Ju-Doh finally snapped as he glowered at the stupid brat. He took a deep breath and and sighed. He turned to look at Hak who stiffened under his gaze. "Why didn't you run away?"

"... because Yoru would have killed herself with her stupidity..?" He took that as an acceptable answer and Hak was relieved he didn't have to face his wrath.

However, one word made Ju-Doh hold in his tracks before looking back at the poor boy who froze up once more. "Did you just... say... _her_?" Hak warily nodded, his eyebrow furrowed in confusion before he facepalmed. _Oh, right, we're all under the impression that Yoru's a boy_.

(**_Meanwhile, Ju-Doh was thinking of his life choices. How in the world could he have mistaken such a thing_**?!)

• **Ｅｖｅｎｔｉｄｅ** •

Yu-Hon stared down at the brat in front of him. His eyes narrowed into sharp angles, a scowl settled on his lips while said brat kept up an indifferent expression. Though, deep inside, she was already a quivering mess under his intimidating presence. "Uhhh..." one of the palace scholars muttered under his breath. "... are we even going to start this meeting?"

The general of the Sky Tribe directed his glare at the poor man, who sunk down in his seat in silence. He huffed and glanced back at Yoru. "Why have you deceived us?" At this question, Yoru tilted her head in simple confusion.

(_Meanwhile, Hak facepalmed yet again when he heard the question. He was eavesdropping outside the door and that question sent him reeling back in cringe. "What does he mean by deceive, Hak?"__"You know how Yoru's-" he stopped and looked down, only to see Soo-Won and Yona looking up at him with smiles. "When did you- How did you-" he groaned. "-nevermind. Anyway, you know how Yoru's a guy, right? Apparently, she's been a girl all this time."__He waited for their reaction and it was not what he was expecting to see.__"So that's why Yoru never joined me for bath.""SHE'S YOUR BODYGUARD!"__"Is that why Yoru asked me where the female's bath was?""PRINCESS- wait, what? Doesn't she have one inside her room?"__Soo-Won shook his head. "The one in Yoru's room is broken after some kind of incident occured and destroyed everything inside."_)

"I never once deceived you."

"Then, why did Ju-Doh mention that you were a female all this time? Why have you not told us?"

There was a tense atmosphere between them. Yu-Hon's glower intensified as he waited for her answer. He only wanted the truth, nothing else. Why did she not correct them in the first place? Was she hiding something? Would it put everyone in peril? He **needed** to know.

"Cause... _you never asked_?"

That night, Yoru slept with a prominent bump on her head.

• **Ｅｖｅｎｔｉｄｅ** •


	3. Chapter 3

•**Ｄｉｓａｓｔｅｒ**•

A few years had come and go.

For Soo-Won, the bitter passing of his father left a deep mark in his heart. His father's death was... not honorable. With his heart closed off and a mind so sharp, he knew exactly what must be done. What he _must_ do so deaths- _murders_\- like his father's would never happen again.

He remembered that night as vivid as crystal, as clear as a cloudless sky. The shining sword pierced through flesh with ease. Blood sprayed violently from the wound as the sword let its victim bleed out rivers. It stained the floor, the silk curtains, the leaves that peeked through the window. It was over in a blink of an eye but the pain that emerged deep inside remained and grew into bitter hatred.

The image that night engraved itself in his mind and whenever he caught glimpses of the person who did it, a voice (_subconscious_, it provided) told him, whispered various things on how to murder that man the same way he murdered his father. Soo-Won had closed his heart that day, only keeping Yoru, Yona (as much as it pained him) and Hak close. He didn't know who was on his side. It terrified him to think that he might be alone in this world.

Even now as he turned fifteen years of age this year, the mere thought of being alone sent his heart racing. It was difficult to give his trust to people who trusted him. It was difficult to give his all when he didn't trust his men. For now, however, he was making progress. He managed to give Kye-Suk and Joo-Doh a chance to earn that trust. It was hard but they managed even for a bit.

The night sky kept him awake, the stars seemed to pull him out of bed and drag him outside to take a leisurely walk along the garden pond. The bright naked moon illuminated everything and it made everything more... magical, as odd as it sounded. "M'Lord." He blinked and glanced at the rooftops to see Yoru's crouched form, the moonlight behind her darkening her features but illuminating her dusk orange locks.

"Ah," he softly uttered. "Why are you still up, Yoru?" A soft breeze forced him to close his eyes due to dust and when he opened them, the woman who swore to be his shield and sword vanished from where she was last seen. A presence made itself known behind him, making him turn around. There she was, sitting near the pond. "It is me who should ask you that question, m'lord." Soft laughter escaped his lips.

"My apologies for laughing so suddenly."

"You're forgiven."

Soo-Won smiled, albeit rather goofily. "Nightmares woke me up," He said. "It's rather silly of me to be... unnerved by childish nightmares." Being weak in front of her didn't suit well with him, he would much rather put up a brave front for Yoru. "There's nothing silly about them." Her words snapped him out of his thoughts. He blinked before approaching her with silent footsteps.

There was something in her voice that made him think. Did she herself have nightmares? "It's okay to admit that you're plagued by them." Soo-Won smiled gently as he walked towards her, stopping just at the end of the pond. He peered at the crystal clear water, seeing his and her reflection. "Do you have nightmares yourself, Yoru?" The night breeze blew by and he didn't seem to notice how Yoru tensed up.

When he received no answer, he blinked and glanced down at her in worry. "Was I too insensitive just now-?!" He groaned when the warrior tackled him to the ground, pushing him out of an arrow's path. His seafoam-green eyes widened considerably in bewilderment. Nothing disturbed the night's routine, making him think how efficient and skillful the enemy was.

If, for instance, this kind of situation happened to them any other time, Yoru would have already sensed the assassin but that wasn't the case. She _failed_ to detect the danger and that was something that shocked him. His bodyguard was the most skillful warrior he knew, even more so than Hak and for her not to notice an enemy's presence meant one thing: that assassin was _dangerous_. More dangerous than the previous ones that had gone for his head.

An arm slid under his knees and another one supported his back. His arms instantly flew around her neck and Yoru sprinted away as another arrow went flying after them. "Tch," he heard her click her tongue in mild annoyance. "I should have had sense them earlier!" He was about to reassure her that it was fine but he lost the support on his back, making him tighten his hold around her.

She had drawn ome of her cutlasses out of its sheath, using it to deflect another arrow aiming for the back of his head. She skidded to a halt before dashing towards the right and into the mansion. Yoru knew every halls, crook and cranny of Soo-Won's mansion, giving her an advantage against the assassins. "M'Lord, you must stay with Joo-Doh and the others while I take care of these men."

The young lord tried to speak up but he was cut off when Joo-Doh and some of the Sky Tribe's warriors appeared from behind the screen door in front of them, blocking a handful of assassins that planned to ambush him and Yoru inside a small space in he mansion.

Yoru jerked her at Joo-Doh who understood her message. "Lord Soo-Won, let's go!" The dusk-haired warrior placed him down just beside Joo-Doh. The older man looked frantic. He knew there was more to this ambush and he needed to get the lord to safety!

"Yoru!" Soo-Won held himself back, looking a bit conflicted. He wanted her safe... with him but he knew she was dedicated to her job. That was just the kind of person she was. "I order you to come back to me... _alive_." A stern gaze bored into her, eliciting a short sound of amusement from the warrior. "With your order, I will come back to you alive and annoying, m'lord."

Joo-Doh didn't waste anymore time as he grabbed Soo-Won's wrist, dragging him to safety. The Sky Tribe warriors caused a mild distraction that successfully worked, giving them time to get away.

Soo-Won looked back, his eyes shimmering with worry. _Don't you dare break that order, Yoru..._

•_Ｄｉｓａｓｔｅｒ_•

She didn't expect this evening to go downhill out of the blue. Expecting a night of no worries and silence, she planned on resting to catch up on nights she couldn't sleep. A sigh left her lips, her eyes, a burning orange, apathetically glanced around as she found herself surrounded by about... five, no, seven assassins. It wasn't Soo-Won who they were after. She knew that right from the beginning.

Their intent to kill weren't directed to her precious lord. No, it was definitely directed at _her_. She wasn't sure what they wanted. Maybe she had done them wrong. The warrior wasn't sure. "Yoru of the Crepuscle-" for some reason, hearing her name leave the lips of an enemy got her blood boiling, her eyes glowing the slightest bit in the darkness, startling about half of them at the sight. "- come with us."

A smile so mocking spread on her lips but it didn't get a corresponding annoyed reaction from her enemies. They remained indifferent but she slowly found this situation of hers amusing. "You know my name yet I never go around screaming what exactly I am called to the world." Her amusement dwindled down a fraction. "To the people who know no better, I am known as Yoru." Her eyes narrowed at the, she guessed, leader of the assassins. "Who are you and how do you know me?"

There was silence, a tense atmosphere brewing between them. A leaf got blown off the little bonsai by the windowsill and when it made contact with the wooden floor, everyone vanished to the untrained eye.

Yoru wielded her dual cutlasses with ease, deflecting the katanas of her enemies. However, some of them managed to nick her, causing tiny cuts to appear all over her. An annoyed scoff came from her scowling lips as she thrust her cutlass into one assassin who left himself wide open. Her weapon cut through flesh like a heated knife to a butter. Not hesitating to pull it out of his chest, blood sprayednout of his chest wound and gathered at his feet.

The assassins kept on attacking her, swords practically raining down on her form. The overlapping cuts started throbbing from the pain and one particular wound by her neck distracted her. It caused a sword to successfully pierce through her shoulder. She stretched out her leg and swiftly tripped the one who stabbed her, the sword left embedded in her shoulder as she impaled him right through his forehead. It didn't stop here as she swung a leg behind her, her body twisting a bit so she could reach the side of his head.

Yoru rammed her foot into his temple without mercy, bringing him down and slamming his face into the wooden floor.

She jumped back to get away from the arrow that pierced the floor where she once stood. However, the sword in her shoulder caused her to grimace in pain, a jolt of electricity stunning her for the slightest of second. This, to the enemy's glee, was taken advantage as the remaining assassins restrained her tightly with ropes and stole her precious cutlasses away from her.

She was pushed to the ground, the sword piercing her even further and made her scream.

"_SHUT UP, DEMON_!" With a heavy blow to the back of her head, her screams died down in an instant.

Before losing consciousness, she couldn't help but think of how she might fail and break her orders from Soo-Won.

_I apologize, m'lord..._

•**Ｄｉｓａｓｔｅｒ**•

Soo-Won felt a sharp sting at the back of his head, a hand reaching out to caress it. He was riding Kage, Yoru's noble stead, as he and his men rode towards the palace. Why couldn't he shake this feeling that something was off? That something bad had happened to Yoru?

A deep frown graced his lips, the urge to turn around and go back to her slowly grew by the second. A nagging feeling bothered him. Something was off about this whole thing. The previous ambushes prior to this one usually happened when Yoru was not by his side, when the opposing side knew that Yoru would be out on an errand. Something didn't make sense and he was trying to find out what was wrong.

"Lord Soo-Won?" Kye-Sook, who had readied the horses at the stable earlier upon realizing the commotion, called out. It snapped Soo-Won out of his thoughts. "Is something wrong?" He bit his lower lip. He wasn't sure if his suspicions were true but what if it was? What if they weren't after him... at all? What if... What if their goal was-

"_Joo-Doh_!"

No...

"_We must head back!"__No...__"They're not after me!"__No...__"They were after Yoru!"__NO!_

"We _need_ to go back!"

Joo-Doh's eyes widened, his startled expression becoming an enraged one as he bared his teeth. He stopped his stead, everyone following him as Joo-Doh headed straight back to the mansion.

Soo-Won heard his thundering heartbeat, his blood running cold. Fear and dread constricted around him, making it hard to breath. _Hang on_, he felt a drop of sweat slid down his temple. _We're coming, Yoru_!

•**Ｄｉｓａｓｔｅｒ**•


	4. Chapter 4

•Ｗａｒｒｉｏｒ•

To her, it was neither cold or warm. It was something between those before a harsh gust of wind blew, her hair furiously dancing in the air. The scent of the sea drifted to her nose. _The... sea..?_ Her eyelids fluttered open but her vision remained blurry and unfocused. The warrior heard several voices commandeering the... ship she was on. It was loud and frustrating before it became silence, a pair of foosteps echoing in the walls of quitness.

"H-He's here..." a shaky voice from beside her caught her attention. _There are... others_! She forced herself to move but failed to even twitch a part of her body. _Am I... Am I drugged? _That explained a lot about her condition.

"Good evening, ladies-" The warrior could practically hear the smile in that voice but-

"- and I am aware that you're awake, the Warrior of the Sky; Yoru of the Crepuscle."

She tensed up, her vision finally focusing bit by bit and confirmed her suspicions. The man who had just spoken was a noble of Sei, one she had crossed paths with before when her lord's father tasked her with infiltrating Sei. "Such beauty." He crouched down and reached to touch her cheek, his eyes rocused on her own. "Why must you be here in Kouka instead of with me in Sei?"

Her face scrunched up in disgust before throwing him a nasty glare. He stood and glanced all over the room. Only then did she realize that there were more than two women here being held captive. There was an entire group of them, filling up the lower cabin of this ship. Most, if not all, were from poor families. Only a handful belonged to prestigious bloodlines.

"That means nothing more than the past now." Startled at his choice of words, she craned her head a bit to glance at him, that sinister smirk spreading on his lips sent shiverd down her spine. The hair at the back of her neck stood up from his gaze alone. "Because you're my property from now on." He reached out to touch her cheek once more but she flinched back in fear. He simply smiled and pulled away, leaving the room filled with terror.

"A-Are you okay?" Yoru glanced at the owner of that scratchy voice and saw a young woman who was around her age reaching out for her. The stranger helped her get into a sitting position, her right arm numb due to how long she had been in the same position. "I am fine, not to worry, m'lady." Just as she finished saying that, Yoru winced and groaned, a hand wrapping around her stomach. She lifted off her garment and scowled when she saw a bruise so dark marking her midsection.

A few gasps echoed in the cabin... for one reason or another. "My, those wolves simply do not know how to take care of a beautiful lady, don't they?" Yoru glanced up and saw a man with the most beautiful hair she had ever seen. She knew her hair was always a mess, tangled and filled with dirt and the only time it was ever clean was when she was forced to by either Lord Hak or Joo-Doh himself.

Yoru was practically entranced by this man who seemed to be a couple of years older than her. "H-How did you-?" He placed a finger near her lips, shushing her. The women in the cabin were still too much in shock to say anything as they watched this oddly cute interaction between them. "Hush, little lady, let me just rescue you all in a dashing manner!"

And just like that, the illusion she had seen inside her head shattered to thousand of pieces. Now, all she could see was a man so full of himself and one that underestimated her much so. One thing she hated was when people of opposite sex looked down on her ability to fight, to push through harsh situations. That man right there just earned her spite and she gave him a glare, eliciting a startled expression from that handsome- er, annoying face of his.

"Untie me, fool," she spat out rather annoyed by him. "Spouting such nonsense is unbecoming of a man."

He choked on air and gave her an incredulous wide-eyed stare with his amethyst eyes. "M-Me? Unbecoming?!" Faking a cough, he puffed out his chest with his hands resting on his hips. "You must be blind, little lady. I am too much of a handsome man to become unbecoming." Now, she knew why Lord Hak seemed irritated by her sometimes. That infuriating smirk rubbed her the wrong way... a lot.

Not wanting to waste any more time, she managed to cut off the ropes somehow. The man was still babbling about himself. She simply rolled her eyes at him and got on her feet. Her movements caught his attention and he found himself blinking in surprise at how tall she was. She was almost eye-to-eye with him and wow, he hadn't met a girl who even came close to his height.

"You talk a lot, old man." He choked on air yet again. "O-Old?!" He practically shrieked in horror, making the women flinch back. At least, he looked apologetic for his actions. Several footsteps came from above and it was heading straight where they were. She shot him a glare and scowled. Was he an idiot or something? The door slammed open and mercenaries poured in from outside.

Yoru instinctively reached for the handles of her cutlasses but found none on her person. Her heart pounded against her chest. She knew her limits, her strengths and weaknesses but she didn't know if she could handle this many enemies with a handful of hostages that she needed to protect at the same time. "It seems like we have to finish this talk later, little lady." She threw him an exasperated look.

"Shall we not? We have more important matters to tend to." He gave her a smile, one she simply scowled at in response.

"Get them!"

The women cowered in fear and made themselves look smaller by crouching by the walls, their heads tucked in their knees as they tried not to get anyone's attention on them. A few who were minors started quietly sobbing from terror.

A random mercenary appeared right in front of Yoru, who were distracted by the women's distressed cries. A hand, big and callused, grabbed the enemy's face and slammed him against the wooden floor. A sickening crack was heard and the young warrior had to blink her eyes several times. She whistled a bit, impressed by his display of power. "Astonishing but-" she moved and used the ribbon around her waist, wrapping the fabric around the man's neck who was maiming the old guy.

She pulled and practically threw him towards the rest of the mercenaries. The lot of them toppled over, hitting their head rather harshly against wood. "- I am way more astounding."

The amethyst-eyed man widened his eyes in awe. "Woah, now that's impressive, little lady."

She simply smirked before hardening her expression. "Tell me now that you did not come here alone." A smile graced his lips just as a commotion happened on the main deck as well. "Does that answer your question, little lady?"

"It was not a question, how dumb of you, old man."

(His eyebrow twitched but he kept on smiling.)

"Everyone!" Her voice boomed and startled all the women, including him. "We're escaping!" Her voice alone commanded attention and obedience and even though fear overwhelmed the women, they stood on shaky legs, their eyes wide with fear but behind that negative emotion, determination burned brightly. "Old man, you watch the rear!"

"I'm not old, dammit! I'm just twenty-two years old!" But he positioned himself at the back of the group as they ascended the stairs to the main deck.

Everything was in chaos.

"Over there!" He exclaimed in urgency. He pointed at a ship near the one they were on, a wide wooden plank connecting both ships. Yoru lead the girls towards there, protecting them from the mercenaries who randomly popped up in her path. On the other hand, old man did the same at the back but instead of punching them, he kicked them with style and grace.

The odd pair protected the women as they got on the other ship. Even though the both of them were overwhelmed, they managed to hold them back as the last of the girls boarded the old man's ship. However, the two weren't exactly in a favorable condition to get on that ship themselves because the mercenaries surrounded them on all sides.

Yoru barely dodged a sword aiming for her neck while he groaned when a knife nicked his bicep. _Oh, c'mon! I just bought these clothes!_ It was getting too much for them, exhaustion startrd seeping in and their muscles throbbed.

The warrior scowled as she heard the old man grunt. This is too much, she warily thought as she glanced around. Her forearms were filled with bruises and cuts. The fight was getting longer and their bodies weren't in the best condition to last any longer. The mercenaries had blocked the path leading to that old man's ship. _I must find a way to get him out of here_. She swore to herself she wouldn't use her powers... it came with terrible consequences, after all.

But that old man came to save them- well, technically, she did the saving. He simply provided a means of escape from this horrid ship.

Her eyes glowed for a fraction of a second, freezing the mercenaries in place in confusion and fear of the unknown. All of a sudden, a strong gust of wind blew and threw the enemies on their backs, some fell of the ship and into the ocean. She heard a whistle and glanced at the old man, who was clapping his hands. "Astonishing... if that was your doing. Or we just got lucky and didn't get knocked off like them."

His annoying face made her roll her eyes. He was amusing, he had that much going for him, at least. A sharp pain came from her chest before she could give a smart remark. Her sudden pain was noticed and the old man frowned a bit in worry. "You alright, little lady?"

"I'm-"

The sound of a gunshot echoed in the night and was followed by deafening silence. Her dusk eyes widened in horror as blood seeped through the man's clothes. Amethyst met dusk and both felt a sharp tug somewhere deep imside them. Yoru, despite the pain, scrambled up to her feet rather clumsily. Hand outstretched, she tried to reach out for him. He himself reached for her but he lost balance, tipping backwards and falling off the ship.

She didn't know why but she shouted out a name at the same time that he did.

"Ryokuryuu!"

"Dairyuu!"

But she was too late, he fell into the water as someone pulled her by the hair. "Tsk, tsk, what a naughty slave you are, Yoru of the Crepuscle."

No words left her lips, no smart retorts or insults. She was in too much shock to do anything.

_N-No_...


End file.
